Faculty Initiated Communities of Practice in a University: A Case Study

Abstract

Applying a case study approach this research explores faculty members’ experiences in three faculty-initiated and organized communities of practice (CoP) in a corporate university. These informal groups, defined by the convenors of the groups as ‘communities of practice’ (CoPs), had formed with horizontal membership to connect and convene faculty across disciplinary and organisational boundaries. Data collection included three focus group interviews and nine in-depth, semi-structured interviews. A thematic analysis indicated that faculty appreciated the opportunity to convene in a CoP and that learning was associated with the freedom to choose whether to join and how to contribute; an engaging purpose for attending; mutual support; a collaborative and open approach to learning and sharing; and, an opportunity to slow down and take time for reflection. Several context-related barriers and risks related to group functioning and individual participation are identified. Factors that enable or impede the informal CoPs are also explored. The implications of this analysis are discussed and the research concludes with a contribution to a typology of communities of practice in higher education.